It has to be said that That’s My Boy has brilliant casting. When Andy Samberg hit Saturday Night Live he felt like the second Adam Sandler clone to hit the show (Jimmy Fallon was first), and so casting him as the son of Sandler feels right. Unfortunately, That’s My Boy is like most recent Sandler movies in that it’s scattershot, and not as funny as it should be. It is R rated, which means we get a darker Sandler than late, but that only helps so much. Our review of That’s My Boy on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Sandler stars as Donny Berger, who – while in middle school – had sex with his teacher (Eva Amurri). This made him famous, and the teacher had his baby, which he named Han Solo. Once he’s old enough, Han renames himself Todd Peterson (Samberg), and is about to get married when his father finds out he needs $43,000 because of back taxes. Donny shows up at Todd’s wedding and it freaks Todd out because he’s always said that his parents died in an explosion. Donny ingratiates himself with Todd’s boss Steve (Tony Orlando) and the bride’s family, though the bride Jamie (Leighton Meester) is pretty anal, and doesn’t like his slovenly ways.

thats-my-boy-adam-sandler-andy-samberg

Todd is a basket case who’s a whiz kid with numbers but has to take a Xanax to deal with the world. So it seems dear old dad has some life lessons to impart, even if he is just coming for the money. And maybe Todd shouldn’t marry Jamie.

With a paper thin plot line, a film like this needs good jokes, but what it does – by starting showing Donny seducing his teacher – is create a level of discomfort. Yes, most boys have had crushes on a teacher or two, but it’s uncomfortable to watch. The film ups the discomfort later with even grosser combinations of sexual encounters. There are enough talented comedians in the picture (like Will Forte) to make some material work, but then there’s also Sandler’s friends who think funny voices, and cross-eyes are hilarious. And fat strippers. For every inspired moment (of which there are a handful), there’s way too many groaners.

There’s also a weird undercurrent of misogyny running throughout the film. The most likeable female character is a complete blank (who’s also a stripper), while the other women in the film are either shrewish, sex objects, or unattractive but horny sex objects. And for whatever goodwill there is in the few moments that work, it’s impossible to forgive that.

Sony presents the film in widescreen (2.35:1) and in DTS-HD 5.1 Master audio. The presentation is stellar. The film comes with a gag reel (6 min.), and five deleted scenes (14 min.). It’s followed by “Who are All These People?” (11 min.), which introduces the cast and the cameos, while “Greetings From Cape Cod” (7 min.) is a montage of the cast and crew saying the film’s borrowed catchphrase. Finally there’s “Classy Rick’s Bacon and Legs” (6 min.) which focuses on the strip club in the movie.

thats-my-boy-poster-andy-samberg